This invention relates to a secure system for refilling and recovering the contents of pressurized fire extinguisher tanks.
The purpose of a pressurized fire extinguisher tank is to enable its user to suppress a fire from a safe distance. However, serious security and safety risks may be associated with the use of such pressurized tanks. These risks are heightened in sensitive locations such as airports, military and other government installations, and chemical and ammunition storage sites.
Pressurized tanks can cause significant harm to both people and infrastructure when the tanks are deployed, used, or secured improperly. The potential dangers associated with pressurized tanks include explosions and the expulsion of harmful material into the atmosphere surrounding the tanks. Furthermore, pressurized tanks can become highly destructive weapons when filled with harmful biological or chemical agents. A compromised tank, even when used inadvertently, has the potential to cause a catastrophic occurrence.
Several scenarios exemplify ways by which the security of a pressurized extinguisher tank might be compromised. For example, a tank that is deployed and ready for use might be covertly removed, refilled with an unauthorized agent, and then put back into place. A tank being transported from a filling station to its place of use might be diverted to an intermediate location, tampered with, and then redeployed to its designated place of use. Prior to refill, a tank might be fitted with an unauthorized fitting, allowing for the introduction of an unauthorized agent into the tank at any time. A tank might be lined or prefilled with a token amount of an unauthorized agent such that when an authorized agent is added, the tank content might become explosive, unstable, or harmful upon dispersal. A deployed tank might be replaced by a visually identical tank containing an unauthorized agent. A tank compromised with an unauthorized agent might be taken to the recovery unit for recovery. A structurally compromised tank, for example, a clone tank with a thin wall, might contain a harmful agent prior to being transported to the refill station.
The purpose of this invention is to mitigate the aforementioned dangers by minimizing the potential for both accidental and intentional modification of fire extinguisher tanks and storage tanks, by minimizing the potential for unauthorized access to fire suppressor refill and recovery systems, and by enhancing the forensic information that is available in relation to the conveyance of content into and out of fire extinguisher tanks.
Finally, many materials and procedures utilized in the field of fire suppression are subject to regulation by the EPA. A purpose of this invention is to provide a system by which compliance with EPA regulations is simplified and ensured.